EDITORIAL
Getting the biggest
bang for your buck
As (ho bolls, whistles and noisomakers rang in the
new year, a new deficit reduction plan made its appear
ance.
The Clinton administration's attempt to cut the soar
ing deficit by raising taxes on the upper class is one
major part of it Are we really getting the most for our
dollars by increasing taxes, and are taxpayers getting the
biggest bang out of their buck by handing over more
money to Uncle Sam rather than investing money
directly in the economy around them?
Take the one-dollar bill for example, the one buried
deep in your front pocket that is a direct benefit from a
good hard day's work. Now, go to the store and spend
your dollar bill knowing that you had to work for it, it is
pretty certain that you will make that dollar stretch as
far as possible and get the most for your money know
ing that you worked for it.
Take that same dollar bill, but instead of spending it
yourself, give it to your closest friend, who knows how
hard you work for your money. Chances are that the dol
lar bill will bo spent quite wisely, but still not os care
fully as if you were spending it yourself.
Finally, take that dollar bill and instead of spending it
yourself — or giving it to someone you know and com
pletely trust —- send it across the country to be com
bined with everyone's dollar bills — tax dollar bills, that
is. Piles and piles of dollar bills. The people spending
them have no real idea where they came from, or some
times even where they are going. Now ask yourself, is
that likely to got the biggest bang for your buck?
The original idea was to reduce the deficit by an esti
mated $490 billion during the next five years. Of this 90
percent of the new taxes will be paid by people w ith
an annual income of more than SI 00.000. These peo
ple will obviously have less money to spend and invest
ut local economies simply because more money will be
spent on taxes
Another component of the new tax bill is a reduction
in the amount of money that can be deduc ted from an
individual's total tax burden to pay for business meals
and entertainment. The reduction drops it from HO per
cent to 50 percent.
The National Restaurant Association estimates that
there could be a S3.7 billion loss suffered in the restau
rant trade, with some 105,000 catering jobs being placed
in jeopardy.
This reduction was such a good idea that thore have
so far been no less than five bills introduced in Congress
seeking to restore the deductions to 80 percent, and
some bills even want to increase it to 100 percent. A tax
reduction for the lower and middle classes will only bo
helpful if members of those classes actually have a job.
The deficit must bo reduced, but it must he reduced in
a way that gets the most out of the money being spent.
Historically, increasing taxes hasn't worked. With each
dollar becoming harder and harder to earn, it seems we
should be Increasingly interested in getting the most out
of each one.
Oregon Daily
PO BOX JIM. EUGENE OK*GO* 9?«0J
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LETTERS
In the black
As mayor of Springfield. I am
extremely proud of our city
manager. Mike Kelly, and his
staff for staving off the deficit
When I was elec ted to the City
Council in 19H7. Springfield
faced a $1 million deficit by
1‘iH'i Our council directed the
staff to develop a series of three
vear plans that would always
forestall our .hitting the wall"
until the third year By keeping
our "hands on the wheel" and
making hard budget dec isions.
we have managed to keep our
city operating til the black We
oven managed to add three lire
fighter/paramedic s this fiscal
year by making nee essarv c uts
ill other areas
Our current projec ted S2.4
million defic it for 11)97 will also
disappear without raising taxes
because, om o again, our city's
Management Team has given
viable options for maintaining a
high level of services by making
innovative adjustments.
Springfield started tins
process la-lore it was politically
correct — before 1990 s Ballot
Measure 5 Our secret has been
to stay well ahead of the curve
and to dm elop an atmosphere of
trust that government can be
responsive to the need of tax
pavers
My advice to other taxing
jurisdic tions is to learn from a
winning program like Spring
field's
Bill Morrisette
Springfield Mayor
No confusion
"Biphobia" is not an issue of
confusion in mv mind Howev
er. tile Dec (> article in the Emer
ald c learly puts my feelings
about bisexuality in a confusing
and ignorant light A misquote
in the article quoted me ns say
ing that bisexuals t annot choose
between sexual preferences
What the article was sup
posed to convey was that bisex
uals have their own identities
and should not have to fool that
they need to choose. Sadly,
though, most people do not
understand that I wish this had
been conveyed correctly
Mv character and contribu
tion to the community speaks
for itself, and those who know
mo realize that I do not believe
in ''bashing” anyone 1 make the
offer to anyone who has been
c onfused or insulted by this orti
ele to contact me and get to
know the Lesbian, Gay and
Bisexual Alliance.
Om e again, 1 apologize for tin*
stress caused by this article.
Rachel M. Dueker
Co-Director
LGBA
“IM4GOD"
An article carried by the Asso
ciatud Press Dec. fi describes a
i ase hi which a motorist sought
to compel tiu* Utah motor vehi
cles division to issue personal
ized license plates, listing
THANX(.Ol) us tier first
i hoii e and "1M4GOD" as sm
ond.
Her request was denied July
13 in a letter indicating that tin
plates might violate state law
burring messages which "carry
connotations offensive to good
taste and decency” as claimed
in the suit.
A reasonable argument t ail tie
made that plates bearing any
"controversial message" be
denied We can imagine other
drivers responding to those
plates with a "thumbs up,”
"thumbs down" or any of the
many other possible digital per
mutations. distracting people
from the serious attention nec
essary for responsible driving.
The real intention of the
plaintiff is to present her private
religious beliefs publicly. Little
did I realize that I, us a free
thinking atheist, would soon
find myself supporting a theist's
effort to promote religion pub
licly The plaintiff's effort —
compared to religiously orga
nized efforts to impose religious
speech on public si hool cam
puses while organizing efforts to
suppress opposing atheist views
— is an individual private
expression The plaintiffs view
will elicit responses — pro or
con — with which she will have
to cope.
However ludicrous the ideas
she advocates — 1 refer readers
to The Bible Handbook for Free
thinkers and Inquiring Chris
turns edited by G W. Foote and
W.P. Ball — it is nevertheless
important for free speech that
she have that right — provided
it is determined the request pos
es no public: danger.
Bert P. Tryba
Boulder, Colo.
Grass for God
In mv previous letters I have
mentioned a new system wait
ing in the wings to replace our
ill-conceived and doomed capi
talist system. There's good news
and had news concerning its
promise, for it s an elective sys
tem for those who want peace
and females only voting by their
dress, which will he a black
tent, and is the had news for all
worshipers of the flesh.
But bad is really good in the
sense that crime w ill end with
zero-tolerance for unrighteous
ness in heaven on the basis that
either one deserves to live or
not There won't be judges or
jails tiecause a person can't have
one foot in hell and the other in
heaven, for sinners must need to
lie put to sleep for reassignment
to a lower life form for the years
that satisfy their victims
The good news is that mari
juana use is approved for heav
en. There are several reasons lor
this, one being that we need to
return to rural lile. away from
the cesspools But until we re
relocated, the following rules
will apply when a community
acc epts heaven restrictions on
smoking hand-rolled pot and
tobacco are forbidden, save
when there's danger from fire or
explosion
But good is really bad because
one has to grow their own grass
after a one-year grace period of
using pot grown by others, to
see if it's right for you to switch
from booze You, may also want
to grow vour own food or bicy
cle to community farms when
you switch to real food to regain
your health Youth seven to 14
can only eat pot, not smoke it
John-Wayne Johnson
San Diego, Calif.
LETTERS POLICY
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